I first came to the library on a Sunday night. Normally a Sunday night is a big study and homework night, but this was the Sunday before classes started. The library was almost full. The night before classes started! At TU, the library (normal or law) was somewhat busy (never crowded) about two weeks every semester, the week before and of finals. Other than that, it was a place you could be guaranteed your own table, if not your own room, in which to study. Granted, TU only had 4,000 students and our school has almost 15,000. But, I was still a little amazed at how many students were here the night before classes started. I asked a few of my former students what in the world they could possibly have to study. Most said they were reviewing in preparation for classes, or were studying for one of the ever-present nationally mandated standardized tests. (More on the standardized tests later). “Reviewing for classes”, I was completely taken aback by this explanation. I considered myself a pretty conscientious student, although I was never an arduous studier. But, I never, never even considered reviewing in preparation for my classes at the beginning of the semester. And there were eight rooms with seating for 150 mostly full with students doing just this. There are three other large buildings with classrooms for studying (which aren’t as comfortable as the library) and some of the dormitories also have their own study hall. So the students at the library only make up a small portion of the studiers.
The library has actual chairs (not just stools), fairly spacious tables, stays a little warmer than the classrooms, and has free boiling water, so I definitely think it’s the place to study. My students cannot understand why I come to the library to study, as my apartment has heating, couches, and all sorts of other luxuries. I come here mainly to get involved in the student life, and learn more about their culture. The lack of an Internet connection is the other main reason. I (like everyone else) am unable to focus on one task when online. Tabbed browsing makes it pretty difficult to stay focused on whatever one may be doing, and with Skype, GChat, an QQ (it’s a Chinese thing), I am often doing too much chatting to get much done, which is fine. So, if I really need to get some blogs typed, or listen to my Chinese lessons, I will head over to the library. I laughed at myself about a month ago as I was typing on my quite modern and expensive MacBook with a pair of hobo gloves, due to the lack of heat in the library. I attract a lot of attention when here, which just adds to my bloated ego. Apparently not too many of the foreign teachers come here over the years. In fact, I remember hearing many students tell me about Clark, a teacher here last semester, who was famous for coming here to study Chinese.
Now, why are there so many students here? I can think of more than a few answers, not being a Chinese college student, can’t say that any of my suppositions is correct. Because there are a lot of students at colleges in China, and the demand for skilled and educated workers is still not incredibly high (China is still primarily a manufacturing economy) there is a lot of pressure to do well. This pressure is also high because most students are the only child, and thus carry all the hopes and dreams of their parents. Another reason is the type of education provided here. The focus in Chinese education is placed exclusively on test results. Teach for the test might not quite describe the system, it is more of a live for the test mentality. I was told that my final exam should count for no less than 70% of my final grade. I have 'worked' around this requirement. Some people may see this as important. I, on the other hand, know that multiple measurements always yield better results than single measurements. I also believe that multiple exams over time will result in actual learning, not just temporary memorization. Yes, I know that this is nothing new to Americans, but most of my students think it’s quite odd. Rote is the prevailing method of education here. It seems like there is a nationally mandated standardized test each semester of college for the students here. So, most of the library attendees are memorizing old keys to these tests. These tests aren’t cognitive ability tests, but rather subject tests. All six of the students I can currently see are reading and copying books full of multiple-choice tests. Clearly a lot of well-rounded, communicative, critical thinkers are being developed here.
The normal classes seem to be just as problematic. Patrick, a very witty and open-minded student I have met, was recently complaining about his study materi
als for his British literature class. He was attempting to memorize about 50 authors and all their works. I had never heard of a few of them, but I admit to know very little about literature. The page he was looking at featured James Joyce, (apparently the ‘British’ definition is liberal) who I think is not a bad author to be aware of. Patrick was expected to know five Joyce titles: Finnegan’s Wake, Ulysses, Dubliners, The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Araby. Not just one work, or even two or three, but all five, including Araby. Now, I went to a college that publishes the James Joyce Quarterly, and I have never heard of it. I have found out that it is a story contained in Dubliners, so why it was separate on his list...only China knows. Unless Patrick is soon on Jeopardy, I can see no way in which this knowledge would be useful. Remember, he was doing this for over 50 authors. He put it the best, “the students after their fourth year, many of them have difficulty finding a job because they have no practical application”. Upon questioning, he said in this class, they do no individual analysis of the texts, no response writings, no essays, and do not make any explanations or explications; but simply are told the interpretation of the text by the teacher and must memorize it. Then they are tested. If nothing else, this explains all the students at the library not writing or discussing anything, but simply staring at their books, memorizing the next test. As I have said, and many others have noted, I can’t imagine what these students would be capable of if their diligence and determination were combined with critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving.(picture from: http://www.ucd.ie/library/index.html)
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